


The Longest Distance between Two Places

by Skitz_phenom



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Established Relationship, Kid Fic, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-11 00:45:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,239
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12311283
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skitz_phenom/pseuds/Skitz_phenom
Summary: Originally posted for the 2012 McShep_Match on LJExpecting Rodney to step through the gate returning from a routine mission to the SGC, John gets quite the surprise at who comes through instead.





	The Longest Distance between Two Places

**Author's Note:**

> Tremendous amounts of appreciation and gratitude and cupcakes to my favorite beta/cheerleader/idea-bouncer. 
> 
> (Oct 2017: Reposted from the 2012 McShep_Match fest. Collecting all of my old fic on AO3. Team: Space  
> Prompt: Nick of Time)

"Incoming wormhole," Chuck's voice carried down to where John jogged down the steps to Gate room floor. "Scheduled dial in from the SGC."

John took up a spot at the base of the stairs just as the last chevron locked into place and he waited expectantly after the event horizon of the wormhole whooshed out and then rushed back and settled into wavery blue. Rodney'd been off of Atlantis, helping out on a project at the SGC, for the past week and John was looking forward to seeing him.

Not that he'd admit it of course. If Rodney asked, John's handy excuse for waiting at the 'gate was simply that he wanted Rodney to hand over the movies and video games he undoubtedly stocked up on while on Earth.

That unmistakable reverse-suction noise of something coming through the event horizon had John looking up, expectantly, and then immediately frowning when something that was definitely not Rodney shot out of the wormhole. He boggled as it sped past him and already had his hand on his weapon when he finally parsed what he was seeing.

A kid.

A youngish, maybe teenage boy on a skateboard.

A youngish, maybe teenage boy on a skateboard who'd just done a wicked ollie to a double kickflip off the steps of the gate platform, followed by a textbook powerslide just a few feet away.

He could only stare, incredulous, as the kid did a kick-up, caught the board and tucked it under his arm and then ran right over to stand in front of him, wearing a ridiculously huge grin.

"Did you see that, Dad?" the kid enthused breathlessly. "I told you I could do it! I knew I'd be able to get enough speed going up the ramp back at the SGC if I used the MALP to gleam off of and I know deetoo is gonna to be pissed but that was like the coolest..."

John continued to gape.

The kid continued to talk. Complete with hand-waving, animated gestures—even flailing the board around a few times—about the trick he'd just pulled and how awesome it was.

Then apparently realizing he didn't have the full attention of his audience he stopped suddenly, and looked up at John. His eyes were wide and a bright, familiar blue beneath a head of tousled, cow-licked dark hair. They widened even further and he took a step back, moving the skateboard in front of him like a shield.

Before John could say anything there was the sound of another person coming through the wormhole. He looked up—anxious about whatever surprises might be coming next - and nearly sighed in relief when he saw it was Rodney.

Who had probably come through the gate with his mouth open, considering he was already talking. "I swear, Sheppard, when he pulls stunts like this he's your damn kid. I told him that skating-boarding through the Stargate was juvenile and not," he took the few steps down the platform and dropped a pack he was carrying next to a wheeled suitcase that he'd dragged after him as the wormhole disconnected, "something that a potential MIT early admissions candidate would consider—"

The kid backed up, eyes still locked on John, until he bumped into Rodney. Rodney broke-off mid-diatribe to look down at him, scowl morphing to a frown, and then he glanced back up at John. His eyes narrowed into a squint and he turned his head in a slow arc, scanning as if seeing the Gate room for the first time. When his gaze landed back on John, his expression matched the boys.

"Oh crap." Rodney's hands came up to land on the kid's shoulders and he drew him closer.

"Dad?" the kid said in a small, querulous voice.

"Uh, Sheppard?" Rodney looked back up at John, and that was when John finally took notice of the things that had tugged at his mind when Rodney first appeared. His hair was touched with grey at the temples and the wrinkles around his eyes were more pronounced. He wasn't nearly as old as the Rodney hologram who'd saved him when he became trapped on the sand-bound Atlantis of the far future, but he was definitely older than the Rodney who'd left for the SGC a week earlier.

Rodney straightened, pulled the boy even closer and then said, "I know this is going to sound like a ridiculous question," his voice was calm in that deliberate way that John knew meant he was close to freaking out, "and I apologize in advance for going with the cliché, but what's the date?" He lifted a hand up in a halting motion, and then settled it back where it had been protectively curled around the boy's shoulder. "Specifically, the year. Because whenever that question comes up in movies there's a tendency for the person responding to it to rattle off the calendar date, or sometimes the day of the week, but usually the year is overlooked and that's really, reaalllyyy the key factor here." He'd moved on to babbling: definitely a sign of imminent McKay panic.

"It's 2012, Rodney. Tuesday, March thirteenth, 2012 by Earth date to be exact." John held up his hands in a placating manner. "And I'm guessing from the fact that you look pretty shocked by that," because Rodney's jaw had gone slack, "you weren't expecting to show up here? I mean now, at this time."

"No," Rodney said, moving his head slowly from side to side. "I was not expecting this." He shook his head again, abruptly, and seemed to gather himself with the gesture. "Well, I suppose we should get this over with, then." He picked up the handle of the wheeled suitcases and hefted the pack.

"Get what over with?"

"Colonel?" That was Woolsey's voice. John looked up to see him staring down over the rail at Stargate Operations, and realized they'd garnered quite an audience. The entire Ops team was gathered around behind him, and down on all sides of the Gate room floor marines stood at the ready, hands on their weapons. "What's the situation?"

"I don't know yet, but I don't think this is our Rodney." John could only shrug helplessly. "I mean, our Rodney from right now. I think he's our Rodney from the future."

"From the future?" Woolsey repeated. "How is that even possible?"

John could only shrug. "Don't know. But, it's not the first time we've seen it. I expect we'll figure it out soon enough. In the meantime," he gestured to Rodney and the kid, "I'll escort them."

"Colonel?" Woolsey repeated, this time in his 'should we be concerned and do we need the men with guns to start doing something' tone of voice.

John shook his head. "I think we're fine." He turned back to Rodney and the kid. "Rodney?"

Rodney looked over at him and there was an odd expression on his face. "Uh, could I have just a minute, Jo... Sheppard. I just need a minute to, uh, explain this..." he gestured to the kid.

"Sure," John nodded. He stepped back to give Rodney and - his son? Rodney's son? - room to talk privately. Rodney knelt down next to the kid and began a quiet conversation that involved a lot of gesturing. The kid had a few things to say, and it looked like things got heated for a moment, if the boy's posture of hands fisted defiantly on his hips was anything to go by, though they both kept their voices low.

Rodney stood finally and pushed the kid away an arm's length so he could hand off the bulging back pack. "David, take this."

David? John frowned. The kid's name was David?

"Where are we going, Dad?" the kid—David apparently—asked.

"Infirmary." Rodney gestured for David and John to precede him. "I assume it'll be easier if we can just confirm my... our identity first, before all the questions start. I don't want to get halfway through explanations and figuring out what the hell I'm ... we're," he corrected again with a sigh. "doing here, and have someone suddenly come to the brilliant conclusion that I might not be who I say I am." He flicked his hand insistently. "C'mon, let's go."

John looked up to Woolsey watching them still. "Senior Staff meeting in the Infirmary, then?" Woolsey nodded and pushed away from the railing, presumably to contact the rest of the Senior Staff.

"Okay, let's go." He gestured for the marines to stand down, let Rodney and the kid trail after him until they reached the corridor, and then waved them ahead. "Why don't you lead the way?"

Rodney rolled his eyes as he passed by. "Yes, yes. Let's start by making sure I know the way to the infirmary."

David, who seemed to be taking his cues from Rodney as it regarded just how weirded out he should be, apparently took this as a challenge, because he rushed ahead. He jogged to the end of the hall and waited, bouncing on his heels like an anxious puppy.

"Uh, Rodney," John asked hesitantly. "He, uh... that is the kid..."

"David," Rodney corrected, following up immediately with, "Hey, damn kid! Wait for your elders!" when David disappeared around the corner.

John's brow furrowed at the profanity. "So, David," he said, speaking the name quite deliberately, "he, uh... Well, before you got through the gate, he called me something..."

"Was it 'hey asshole?'"

"What?" John blurted. "No! Why would he call me that?"

"Oh, he's just been experimenting with profanity lately. He thinks that because he's fifteen he should be allowed to have more freedom with his means of expression." Rodney shot him a significant glare that John couldn't make heads or tails of. "Damn kid gets particularly verbose after he does defiant things like recklessly hurtling through the Stargate on a flimsy wooden board!" He raised his voice on the last, deliberately.

"Dad!" David's voice carried from further down the hall. "That's bogus and you know it."

Rodney spread his hands. "Okay, okay. Maybe I'm exaggerating. A little." His voice was pitched to be heard from a distance, and then dropped back down to softer, more intimate tones. "Seriously, what did he call you?"

John thought for a moment about calling the Rodney out on the profanity thing, because he certainly seemed to be swearing at or about his son quite a bit, but he had a more pressing concern. "He called me Dad, Rodney."

"Oh that," Rodney scoffed. "Of course he did. He's your son."

John stopped dead in his tracks.

Rodney continued walking for a few moments then seemed to realize that he'd lost his escort. "Uh, Sheppard?"

John held up a hand. "Wait just a minute, Rodney. He's my son?"

Rodney nodded. "I thought that would've been obvious. Have you seen his hair?" He smiled in a way that John could only think of as fond.

"But he calls you Dad?"

"Well, yeah." The corner of his mouth slanted down. "Actually that is a little unusual. Usually he calls me D2. He must be pretty freaked out by all of this. It's his first experience with time travel." He added the last as if it made perfect sense.

"Deetoo?" John repeated.

"No, dee, like the letter of the alphabet, and two, like the number. D2. Like a two-sided die if there was such a thing. D2, as in Dad number two."

"Dad number two?"

"Are you going to keep parroting me?" Rodney snarked. "Yes, D2. Look, when he was a baby he called you Da, and me Da-da and that pretty much cemented the whole thing. He'd make noises like da da da for you, but da-da, da-da for me. It was pretty distinct. Anyway, when he was older it was Dad and Dad-Dad. You gotta admit that Dad-Dad is a little silly and he likes the sound of D2 better. So do I, as it happens."

"So he's your son as well as mine?"

Rodney's frown angled down even further. "Well, yes. I mean, it's 2012. This shouldn't be news to you..." he trailed off as his expression went panicky. "Oh crap. My memory sucks." He grabbed John by the upper arms. "Have we been to M49-354 yet? And by 'we' I mean you and the Rodney of this time."

John, who was still stuck on the whole 'Dad number two' thing, just blinked.

"C'mon Sheppard, M49-354. Have we been there?" Rodney gave him a little shake for emphasis.

That jolted him out of his stupor, mostly because he wasn't used to Rodney manhandling him in such a way. It was kind of disconcerting. He tried to focus on the question. "M49-354?" he repeated. "Sounds familiar." He couldn't pinpoint exactly why, but he definitely recognized the gate address. "Yeah, I think we have."

"Okay," Rodney breathed out a relieved sigh and his grip on John's arms loosened. "Okay, good."

John was about to ask what was good about that, when David called from down the hall again. "Are you guys coming? Everyone's waiting for us."

Rodney jerked his chin. "C'mon, we'd better go. They're going to have a field day with David and I want to get there before they start with the needles." He gave John's biceps one last squeeze, looked oddly regretful for a moment, and then pulled away.

John wasn't quite ready to move though. "Wait a second, Rodney. You're telling me that you and I have a son and you expect me to just... I dunno, roll with that news? You know this is coming completely out of left field for me."

Rodney ran a hand over his face, dragging his palm from forehead to chin and then seemed to reach some decision. "David," he called out and waited until David's head popped out from behind the corner.

"Yeah, D2?"

He twitched his fingers out in a flicking gesture. "Just tell them we'll be a minute, okay?"

David nodded, "Okay, but hurry up. I mean, it's cool seeing everyone look so young and stuff, but they're starting to ask questions."

"Just a few minutes, I promise. Tell them I told you not to answer any questions and maybe tell them about the paper you're working on, or I don't know... about the skateboarding stunt you pulled in the Gate room."

The boy brightened at that. "Can I show 'em how I do a primo slide?"

"If you can find a way to do one of whatever that is in the infirmary, go for it." Rodney spread his hands magnanimously.

"Cool." David disappeared down the hall again.

"That'll keep 'em busy. That damn kid is such a show-off." He smirked. "He gets that from you, you know."

John shook his head. "This is really weird, Rodney. I mean, we have a kid. You're like, a dad. It's just absolutely not what I expected to see. Are we... uh, together then?"

Rodney looked momentarily nonplussed by that question and then obviously some thought or another came to him because he did that snapping fingers thing that he sometimes did, and pointed at John. "Right. I forgot that we didn't get together until after David showed up. Wow, this must especially weird for you, then."

John gave an exaggerated nod. "Yes, Rodney. Extremely weird."

"Well, much as I hate to make it even weirder, I'm not going to lie. Yes, you and I are 'together' in the future. We're actually married, if you must know."

"Married?" John's brain boggled at that.

"Uh huh. For about thirteen years now. Took you a couple of years after David came along to make an honest man of me, but eventually you caved." His smirk was positively devilish.

"You're enjoying this," John accused. "Telling me all of this and freaking me out."

Rodney gave a half-hearted shrug that wasn't the least bit guilty. "Yeah, I suppose I am. I probably shouldn't be telling you any of this, to be honest, but I'm sure some of these basic details are going to come out anyway. Not to mention that no matter how calm, cool and collected I appear right now, I've just travelled fifteen years into the past and I'm not sure if I'm quite dealing with that yet."

He sighed, looking suddenly weary. "Plus, this whole experience is probably going to be tough enough for David without having to ask him to try to remember what things he can and can't talk about. He's as smart as you'd expect, being a son of ours, and I know he'll be thinking about it. But at the same time, he's still just a kid. I guess I just figured I'd rip off the metaphorical band-aids for you early..."

John didn't know if he should be annoyed or glad about that. If he thought about it, it was probably better than getting the news in front of everyone. "Okay, I get that. Uh, thanks, I guess." Because what else did you say to the guy who just told you he was your future husband and that you had a son together. He jerked his chin towards the hall. "We should probably get going."

"Yeah," Rodney agreed, "I shudder to think what kind of chaos our son is causing."

Not much, as it turned out; but David wasn't kidding when he'd said that everyone was waiting for them. The infirmary was a packed house by the time John followed Rodney inside. Besides Woolsey and Doctors Keller and Becket, Ronon, Teyla, Lorne, Zelenka and even Sergeant Banks (who'd been promoted to head of Security just three weeks earlier) not to mention a couple of nurses and three strategically place marines were positioned around the main room. John wasn't sure if Woolsey had invited everyone, or they'd heard about what happened and were curious to see future Rodney for themselves.

"Sorry," John offered to explain their delayed arrival, "just a few details Rodney and I needed to discuss."

Woolsey accepted that with a gracious nod that John figured meant he'd ask for specifics later. "That's alright, gentlemen. David here was just explaining that he's working on a term paper for his Physics final analyzing the temporal constant in the construction of wormholes and whether it's a natural occurrence."

"It's a clever theory that he's working on. Should be a good paper when he’s done. He didn't break out the skateboard, though?" Rodney asked, crossing the room to stand by David's side.

"He also gave us a demonstration of something I believe he called an ollie?" Teyla told them, wearing her 'patiently amused Mom' expression. John was used to seeing that one directed at him, or Ronon or Rodney... or all three of them, so it was kind of novel to see it directed at an actual kid. Well, a kid who wasn't Torren.

Rodney rolled his eyes, but also reached up a hand to ruffle David's hair. David tolerated it for about three seconds before ducking out of the way. John didn't blame him. He was way too old for hair-ruffling.

"So," Woolsey said, the single syllable having the effect of bringing the room to order. "Colonel Sheppard tells us that you're our Doctor Rodney McKay, but you're from the future and that you've traveled back in time, albeit unintentionally."

John wondered when he'd said all of that, but since the gist of it was true, he didn't interrupt. Woolsey obviously wanted to say his piece here.

"I'm sure you can understand," Woolsey went on, "that we'll want to confirm the veracity of that."

"Naturally," Rodney replied, waving a hand out to indicate the room. "That's why we're here in the infirmary. Believe me, I want to confirm that I'm me just as much as you do. The sooner we can get this out of the way, the sooner I can get to work on getting back to my time."

Rodney hustled over to Becket and held out an arm. "Okay, Carson, let's get this over with. Draw blood, run scans, do whatever voodoo you have to do to prove that I am who I say I am. You might as well start on the kid too. When I'm done filling you all in, I know you're going to ask."

Keller approached David. He was eyeing her rather oddly but had hopped up on a table after getting a nod from Rodney. "'s okay," he said when Keller asked if he minded her taking samples, "I'm pretty used to doing this."

John frowned. He recognized a brave face when he saw it. David might be okay with having some blood drawn, but from the way his eyes kept surreptitiously glancing over certain faces, there were aspects of this whole situation that he wasn't entirely comfortable with.

If Rodney was as nonplussed by the experience as he'd purported to be, he wasn't showing it. He'd hopped up on an exam table and was not very silently suffering through Carson's ministrations.

"Doctor McKay," Woolsey gestured for him to take the floor. "You said you had further information?"

Rodney, who took to being the center of attention like a fish to water, cleared his throat self-importantly. "I suppose you're all wondering why I'm," he pulled an arm away from Carson to wave a hand towards David, "we're here. Which is a very good question, because I'm wondering it too. First of all, let me say this: I don't know why we're here, or how we got here but just as soon as we're done with the identity confirmation here, I plan to figure that out. Naturally," he went on, "that includes figuring out how to get back to our time and obviously how to return the Rodney from your time. But I have no answers about that yet.

"Now, I'm sure you're all curious about the future, but please understand that I'm probably not going to answer your questions. Not because I believe in any of that 'don't step on the butterfly' or Back to the Future crap," and here he looked at John, eyes squinting as he scowled.

John couldn't help but smile a little. Even David made a little snickering noise that he quickly hid beneath a feigned cough. Obviously he was familiar with their disagreement on that particular movie-going experience.

"But," Rodney continued, "simply because I don't think that knowing the future is always a good idea. Plus, once I open that can of worms, there will be no stopping it and no offense but my first focus needs to be on getting home. What I can tell you is that I'm very likely from your direct future; though I haven't entirely ruled out parallel dimension coupled with time displacement yet." He waved that way. "So, the future. The year 2027 to be precise. And what I can also tell you is that David, the young man sitting over on that table being so kindly poked and prodded by Doctor Keller, is my son."

The response to this was as John expected. He figured David had already clued them all in anyway. There were a couple of soft sounds of surprise (from the nurses), a few nods, and mostly just looks of curiosity. Until Rodney added, "Oh, and he's also Sheppard's son too."

And then jaws dropped and eyes widened and after a moment of silence, behind him, John heard Zelenka whisper to Lorne, "Adopted, do you think?"

Lorne responded in an equally hushed tone, "I got a hundred bucks says Ancient gizmo gone wrong."

John, since he didn't know the answer himself, wasn't inclined to take that bet.

Rodney apparently also heard their commentary because he looked at the both of them and very scoffingly tsked, "Wrong and wrong." He seemed almost amused. Then he looked at Keller and said, "If you run a genetic analysis you'll find that David's DNA is a combination of mine and Colonel Sheppard's which is to be expected for a child that is biologically ours. What you'll also find," he added before anyone could interrupt, "is that David has a third contributor to his genetic makeup."

At that, Beckett stopped what he was doing—which was poking a needle into Rodney's inner elbow—and Rodney squawked, "Hey, watch it with the pointy things." Carson hurried to finish, and muttered an apology, but was clearly more focused on what Rodney had just said.

Keller at least had the sense of mind to set down her hand-held scanner before she asked, "Are you serious?"

Rodney nodded, now looking smug and even more self-satisfied by the whole thing, if John could read the smirk tugging at the line of his mouth. "Yes, you heard me right. That's because while David has two biological fathers, he also has a biological birth mother who contributed to his DNA. His conception was as normal as any child's, considering the circumstances, and his birth was also quite standard."

John couldn't keep quiet any more. "How in the hell is that possible, Rodney?" he asked, and waved away the fact the Beckett obviously wanted to interrupt and Keller looked intrigued beyond words. They could wait. John had priority in this conversation. "And I'm not even talking genetically speaking, because I understand the usual way things work. But, I mean the whole normal conception thing..." he trailed off because he didn't know how to continue that sentence.

Rodney gave him a look. A significant look that John knew he was supposed to interpret to mean 'something‘. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite figure out what that something was. So he just gave a culpable little heft of his shoulders, and Rodney shook his head a bit mournfully at John's cluelessness.

Then Rodney said something John hadn't been expecting. "Varidace. High Luminary Verarr. Does that ring a bell?"

John felt all the blood drain out of his face, as if it were suddenly transmuted to a ferrous liquid and some magnetic field had drawn it down to pool in his feet. Just as quickly, it reversed direction, rushing upward and spreading a hot flush over his throat and across his cheeks and even burning the tips of his ears. "Oh," was all he could say.

"Yeah, 'oh'." Rodney replied. "That's why I'd asked you if you'd been to M49-354 yet."

John was acutely aware that all eyes in the room were shifting between them during the conversation like spectators at a tennis match, but it was Woolsey who spoke up first.

"What, may I ask, is Doctor McKay referring to? I don't recall anything in your mission reports that would indicate anything like this," he nodded towards David, "occurring."

John had to give him credit for putting it delicately. He lifted a hand to scrub at the back of his neck and rub backwards through his hair because he really didn't know how to answer that question. "Ahh... well, I alluded to it in my mission report, Sir." He normally didn't call Woolsey 'Sir', but in this case he figured that it couldn't hurt to try and butter him up a little bit, because John knew he wasn't going to be happy about what he heard.

Woolsey, who had a ridiculously good memory for the details of mission reports and gate addresses, said, "I'm afraid you're going to have to elaborate, Colonel, because there's nothing indicative of this situation in that particular mission report."

John tried to remember how he'd phrased it. "Well, I may have noted it in my report as a 'special invitation to a traditional ceremonial ritual with First Luminary Verarr'."

"You may have noted it that way?" Woolsey looked close to apoplectic, then visibly forced himself to calm. "As this is neither the time nor the company," he inclined his head towards David and Rodney, "I'll refrain from delving further into the meaning behind that, but please expect that we will talk about this later, Colonel."

John swallowed hard and nodded.

Woolsey looked around at everyone else in the room. "And the rest of you? Should I expect similar euphemistic double-talk in your mission reports?"

Teyla looked like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth, Ronon was just grinning wolfishly (probably because Woolsey still hadn't gotten him too cooperate on the whole 'every team member who goes off world needs to submit a mission report' concept) Lorne's gaze was bouncing everywhere around the room, landing on everything and everyone except on Woolsey, and Radek was honest-to-God trying the whole 'innocent whistling' act. John shook his head.

"I see." Woolsey frowned. "This is definitely something we're all going to discuss. Particularly if those omissions lead to situations like this." He swept an arm out, gesturing to the room.

Carson cleared his throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had descended after Woolsey's pronouncement. "Not to interrupt, Richard, but I'd like to understand what Rodney's talking about." He got Woolsey's nod, though it was clearly reluctant.

"Rodney, when you say that David's conception and birth were 'normal', do you mean he was...er," Carson stumbled just like John had done. John could sympathize since he knew what Carson was getting at.

Fortunately, so did Rodney. And normally John would've expected him to want to make his friend squirm, but maybe it was because David was still sitting patiently on his exam table being even more enthusiastically scanned by Keller, the he spared the Doctor.

"Yes, I mean that there was intercourse and Verarr was impregnated and conceived David as a result of it."

"But that would mean that both you and Colonel Sheppard were ah, contributors..." Carson's face was florid and he didn't seem to be able to look Rodney in the eye.

John could feel eyes on him, but he kept his own gaze fixed on the wall behind Rodney. This conversation was going to go to some difficult places before it was over.

"Yes, Carson." Rodney said frankly, his expression as flat and matter-of-fact as John had ever seen it. "That's exactly what it means."

Carson's eyes immediately shot to David, who was now running the handheld scanner over his own chest experimentally.

Rodney's whole head rolled because apparently just his eyes weren't enough for this. "Carson, the boy knows exactly where he came from and what happened to create him. What's funny to me, is that he's going to spend practically a quarter of his life in this damn infirmary because you're all so fascinated by him, and as a result he knows more about where he came from and how he developed than I do. Isn't that right?"

David sort of shrugged and ducked his head in a slightly embarrassed acknowledgement. "I s'pose," he muttered.

"Well what can you tell us, Rodney?" Keller asked. John kind of wanted to point out that Rodney'd already said he didn't want to spend his time answering questions. But until his identity was actually confirmed it was unlikely Woolsey would let him do much more than that.

"I'll be honest, Jennifer, I understand the concept behind how this is possible, but not the medical science. You know that's all voodoo and witch-doctoring in my book." He smirked. "What I know about the people of Varidace is that many thousands of years ago much of their population was wiped out by the Wraith. Unfortunately a significantly large number of the people culled were women. Now, I can't deny that there appears to have been some influence by the Ancients—"

From the back of the room, John heard Lorne mutter, "I knew the Ancients had to be involved somehow."

Rodney, whose hearing seemed to have improved (John wondered if being a parent had something to do with that) because he caught Lorne's comment as well, nodded wryly. "Yes, well. Can't really swing a cat without hitting something influenced by the Ancients in this galaxy, can you? Anyway, it seems that through a combination of natural evolution and Ancient dabbling, certain Varidacean women developed the ability to conceive children with two male biological donations, so to speak. These genetics of these children are predominantly influenced by their fathers, but also possess traits from the mother.

"It's relatively rare among the Varidacean people and those women that are found to possess this ability are immediately elevated to almost royalty. They're called the Luminary. Verarr, David's mother, is their leader in this time." He gave a quick glance over at David when he said that, the briefest frown flashing over his mouth. John couldn't interpret the meaning of it.

"The Varidacean are probably what Earth people would consider very progressive in terms of their society." He emphasized the word. "They pair-bond in all combinations even forming triumvirate marriages in some cases. Polyamory isn't unheard of. Many male couples, or couples who can't conceive naturally petition for months or even years to have a child with a Luminary. It's actually a great honor when that gift is bestowed on offworlders." He lifted his chin, the smugness having returned.

"How are they identified?" Teyla asked, "These Luminaries? You said that when they are identified, their status is elevated."

"Oh, now that is fascinating," Rodney pointed a finger at Teyla. "Again, I don't know the biology behind it, but when these girls reach puberty their eye color changes dramatically. They end up with almost metallic spots on their irises. Every time a Luminary is discovered, it's cause for major celebration."

John remembered how striking Verarr's eyes had been. What should have been plain, mossy green irises were flecked with specs of gold and twined with filaments of copper and emerald. John had spent quite a bit of time gazing at them, watching the flashes and sparks of color reflect in the soft candle light.

The conversation continued on around him, Beckett and Keller asking more specific questions, but John's mind drifted back to the night that David was apparently conceived.

They'd gone to Varidace because a trading partner of theirs had gotten word to the Athosians that the Varidaceans were experiencing a near-global disaster due to malfunctioning Ancient technology. They were desperately requesting the help of the people in the City of the Ancestors. It turned out that there was an advanced weather monitoring and management system in place on the planet. The control console for the entire system was on the fritz causing several satellites in orbit to malfunction, affecting weather patterns across their largest—and most populated—continent. While of a higher technological status than many of the people of Pegasus, they didn't have the capability to repair the system themselves.

It had been a matter of an afternoon's work for Rodney.

The celebration afterward had gone on far longer than the repairs. They were treated to a magnificent feast that was accompanied by a variety of alcoholic beverages and even colorful displays of dancing and acrobatics. When the evening finally wore down and Ronon and Teyla were escorted to their quarters, Verarr, their hostess, had invited John and Rodney back to her private quarters. She explained that she had a great gift to bestow upon them for their generous contributions to the betterment of her society.

Cripes, John grinned to remember, if anyone was good at euphemistic double-talk, it had been Verarr.

When John and Rodney figured out that the special 'ceremony' she referred to was actually an offer for a threesome, they'd turned her down—politely - at first. Not wanting to offend her though, they agreed to remain in her quarters to share a drink. Then two. By the third, on top of everything they'd had with dinner, John's recollection got a little bit fuzzy.

He didn't know who'd initiated things, but he suspected it might have been him. He remembered sliding a hand up Rodney's thigh even as he leaned across the divan they shared to kiss Verarr. From there, everyone got involved. The night had been intense and fevered and probably the most wholly passionate sexual experience of his life. He and Rodney had started off keeping their hands mostly to themselves—at least with each other - but Verarr would have none of that. She drew their hands to touch and explore and before long they were all naked and touching and then doing lots more than that.

He still spent nights alone in his quarters, lying in bed or under the warm spray of the shower, remembering how it had felt to run his hands over Rodney's curving spine while he was nestled between Verarr's thighs. Or how he'd shivered at Rodney's lips on his neck even while Verarr sat astride him, arching her back to expose full, heavy breasts that begged for John's hands. He and Rodney didn't have sex with each other that night, but Verarr made if feel as if they had.

Of course, he and Rodney never spoke about it except the brief 'happened off world, stays off world' conversation when they'd woken up alone the next morning, entangled in each other. John probably hadn't gone a day without thinking about it since, though. He wondered what it meant and if Rodney just dismissed it as something that happened because of Verarr's influence, or if he wanted to see whether or not they could recreate some of that magic, just the two of them, as much as John did.

John shook off the memories and brought his attention back to the infirmary and the various discussions going on around him. Rodney was still talking genetics to Beckett and Keller. Apparently free of Keller's clutches, David shyly approached Teyla. Curious, and anxious to keep his mind on the present, John listened in.

"Hi. Uh, Aunt Teyla." David cringed. "Oh, I probably shouldn't call you that yet, should I?"

Teyla beamed. "On the contrary, David. I'm pleased to know I hold such a position of esteem in your life."

That brought a bright smile to David's face. "Oh, you do. You and Uncle Ronon, especially." His grin turned wolfish in an obvious imitation of Ronon. He looked around the room, eyeing everyone in it. "Well, most everyone in this room are pretty much the people I see every day." He turned back to Teyla. "But, I was wondering, is Torren here? On Atlantis?"

Teyla shook her head. "Not at the moment, no. He's visiting the Athosian settlement with his father."

David's expression went strange, almost pinched for a moment and the shifted to disappointment. "Oh, that's too bad."

"Do you know Torren well, then?" Teyla's eyes were bright with curiosity. John couldn't blame her wanting to know about her son's future.

David nodded eagerly. "Oh yeah. He's like, my best friend. He's just... the coolest. We hang out all the time." John recognized hero-worship when he saw it. "He's been teaching me how to track and to hunt with traditional weapons and I'm showing him how to skateboard. In two weeks Uncle Ronon is going to take us out, just the three of us and we're going camping for a week and we're going to live off the land and hunt our own food. It's gonna be awesome."

Ronon looked over, eyeing David critically. "I am, huh?"

Any shyness David felt over addressing the younger counterparts of the adults he obviously knew well was completely forgotten amidst his excitement. "Yeah," he enthused, "we're going to P92-679 because it has really good hunting," he shot a quick, sideward glance to Rodney, and then lowered his voice, "and not too many large predators."

"Sounds good to me," Ronon gave a sharp nod. "Your dads' okay with that?"

"Eh," David shrugged. "Dad," he indicated John with a tilt of his head, "is cool with it, and D2 just says that he'd rather not know about it."

"D2?" Teyla echoed.

"Oh, that's what I call uh, my other dad. Rodney." He scrunched up his face. John could remember how weird it was to refer to your parents by their first name.

"What for?" Ronon asked.

"I used to call him Dad-Dad, and then Dad-two, cuz he did not wanna be called Pops or Pa or Father or anything like that. So we decided on D2."

"Alright, that's enough!" Rodney's voice carried over the din.

John looked up to see him waving his arms in defeat. "I know this is all extremely fascinating to you medical types, but there are more pressing concerns here. Like how the hell I got here and how I'm going to get me and my fascinating kid home. You've gotta have an answer on the whole 'am I the real Rodney' by now?"

Beckett pulled a rather sheepish face. "I'm terribly sorry Rodney; we've had that information for a bit."

John could actually see Rodney bite his tongue and was impressed that he'd actually done so. "And that information is?" he asked with only a modicum of irritation.

Woolsey rejoined the group from where he'd been conferring quietly with Amelia Banks. "I'm curious to know as well Doctor Beckett." It impressed John how much the man could convey while saying so little.

"That Rodney is exactly who he says he is," Beckett hurriedly reported, "He's a perfect match to our Rodney."

"Good," Rodney sighed. "Now that we've got that out of the way, we can get started on getting me and my son back home." He clapped his hands together and rubbed them eagerly, looking around the infirmary. "Where's Zelenka?"

Lorne hitched a thumb over his shoulder. "He figured that he'd get started on the preliminary analysis of the data from the Stargate while we were waiting here."

"Good, that's good."

"Do you want me to call him back here?" Lorne asked, moving the hand over and at the ready to activate his headset.

"No, that's fine. I can meet him in the labs." Rodney hopped off of his table.

"Too late," Zelenka said from the doorway. "I am back already."

"Okay Radek, what've you got?"

Zelenka shrugged. "I have nothing, Rodney. All diagnostics show that the gate functioned normally and there was absolutely no record of sunspot activity. We have contacted SGC and they report the same. No anomalies."

Rodney frowned. "Well that doesn't make any sense. We'll have to analyze the data further. There's got to be some kind of evidence of what happened. It's just not possible for a Stargate to malfunction in that—"

To John's surprise, David interrupted. "Uh, Dad."

"Yes, David. I know you're working on that theory for your paper, but we really don't have time for—"

"No, Dad." David broke in again, insistent, "I think I know what happened." He walked over to the bag that he'd carried in and knelt down to rummage through it. When he got to his feet, he was holding something... familiar.

"Hey," John said, "that's the Temporal Scanner that Rodney from this time was going to get back from the SGC."

"David," Rodney said, his tone blank in a way that was worse than any anger could be, "was the scanner active when we went through the gate?"

David swallowed hard and then gave a quick nod. "Yeah." He hurried over to stand in front of Rodney. "But Dad, I was just repeating the scans you ran ..." he trailed off with a look of horror on his face.

Rodney nodded, but John wasn't sure why.

"Yes, the scans I ran fifteen years ago. Or, more specifically, the scans that the Rodney of this time was running during on his return trip from the SGC."

"Right," John added, "Rodney was going to take the scanner to the SGC to get readings while going through a wormhole."

"Yes, and my memory of the event doesn't include getting transported forward in time fifteen years." Rodney sniffed derisively. "Nor did I get any significant data during its use. In fact, didn't I send the Temporal Scanner back to the SGC for storage after that?" He frowned at David.

"Well, I was talking to Doctor Lee about my paper and about how I had that whole theory about temporal stability of wormholes being a natural phenomenon instead of specifically influenced by the Stargate. So Doctor Lee remembered that the scanner was in storage there and he got it out for me."

"Doctor Lee," Rodney ground out. "Wonderful. Remind me to thank him the next tiem I see him, with a swift kick to his—"

"Rodney," John warned.

"Okay, okay." Rodney said, clearly already thinking miles ahead of everyone else. "Radek, we need to take the scanner back to the lab and review the settings. I think we're going to need to make some adjustments."

"What do you need me to do?" John asked.

"I think that you should start preparing for the return of your Rodney, who's going to have quite a bit to talk to you about when he gets back." That overly-amused and far-too smug grin was back. John had to admit though, Rodney wore it well at any age. "Not the least of which will be the arrival of your son in oh, about four months."

"Four months?" John echoed, incredulous. "Wait, I thought that ... I mean, that night with Verarr was only..." he did the mental math. Oh.

Rodney nodded when he saw that John got it. "Right, it was almost five months ago now."

"Rodney?" Keller asked, a look of suspicious dawning on her face. "Was that why you asked for Carson to replace me as your Primary?"

Rodney's frown turned puzzled. "What are you talking about?"

Keller snapped her fingers and left a pointer finger up, aiming it at Rodney. "I'm right, aren't I? The situation you were alluding to earlier, with the Luminary that took place five months ago. That was the planet where you and Colonel Sheppard came back and the both of you requested to see Carson for your post-mission exams."

"It's possible," he replied airily which was a sure sign of guilt. "I'm not sure why you're asking though."

Keller cocked her head and gave him one of those looks that meant that Rodney was the one not getting something this time. "That was a week after we broke up, Rodney? I thought it was because you were upset with me. I didn't realize it was something like this. I remember joking around with you afterwards that you were just avoiding me because you'd probably hooked up with some floozy priestess, and didn't want to admit—"

"Hey!" David stood up suddenly, "that's my, Mom!" He'd gone all red-faced and his eyes were wide and suspiciously shiny.

Keller looked horrified. "Oh, David, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't mean... I wasn't talking about your Mom, I just ..." she trailed off helplessly.

David looked torn between crying and yelling. He settled on storming out of the infirmary at a run.

"I'm so sorry, Rodney." Keller said, wringing her hands. "I didn't mean—"

Rodney stopped her with a raised palm. "It's not your fault, Jennifer. You couldn't have known. It's just that Verarr... died recently. And it's been tough on David."

Keller's face paled and she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Jennifer," Rodney put a hand on her arm. "Please don't. I remember what you were talking about. It was just a joke and I know David would understand if he'd stayed to listen. This is all just too much for him." Rodney sighed and moved to follow David. "I'd better go after him. He knows this city practically better than I do."

"Why don't you let me go get him, Rodney," John offered. "You need to get to work with Zelenka on getting home. I'm sure I can track down a kid." He crossed over to stand next to him, and reached out to squeeze his shoulder. "Any idea where he'd go?"

"Oh yeah. You're probably either going to find him on the observation deck or out on the pier."

John didn't have to ask which pier he meant. "Got it. Don't worry, Rodney. I'll talk to him." He squeezed his hand once more and the headed out of the infirmary.

"Thanks," Rodney said, and then turned his attention to Radek as the two left the infirmary for the labs.

John tried the observation tower simply because it was on his way, but when there was no sign of David, he headed for the pier. John found him there just as Rodney had suspected. He was sitting down on the edge, legs dangling and all hunched over on himself.

"Hey," John called out from a few yards away, not wanting to startle him.

"Hey."

"Can I join you?"

David shrugged in that boneless teenage way that John would've had to dislocate a shoulder to duplicate. "Sure, if you wanna."

John eased himself down to the cold metal, and swung his legs over the edge. He propped his elbows on his knees and stared out at the rippling grey ocean.

"Wanna talk about it? Your Dad...uh, D2, he told me about her. Your Mom. I'm really sorry."

That earned him another shrug, but it was followed by a deep inhale that was carefully not sniffling.

"You know Keller didn't mean to insult her. She... she and your Dad used to date, did you know that?"

That did prompt a reaction. David coughed out a sound that might have been a laugh if not for how bitter and warped it was. "Oh yeah, I know all about that. Trust me."

"What do you mean?"

When he didn't answer, John prompted, "C'mon, kid. You can talk to me. I'm like your old man, but I'm not the guy who can punish you for the shit you tell me yet."

That earned him a quick—and hastily aborted—chuckle. "Fine," he relented after a long, indecisive moment. "You... I mean, my Dad. Look, D2 and Dad aren't together right now. They're like separated and it sucks balls."

"Separated?" Rodney hadn't said anything to indicate that, but now that John could properly categorize some of the longing looks and aborted touches, it made sense. He thought Rodney was just being circumspect because he didn't want to freak John out, but he was really holding back because he missed the connection he had with his John Sheppard and was unsure of its welcome now.

God that was like a punch to the gut to know that he and Rodney had actually worked through all of their bullshit and then ended up...what? Afraid to reach out to each other. Unsure of their rights to do so? That was all kinds of fucked up.

"Yeah," David spat. "You're living in your old quarters and the two of you can't be civil to each other for one damn minute and it's tearing me and... well, just me. It's tearing me apart and I hate it."

"How long has this been going on? And what does this have to do with what Keller said."

"I dunno. It's been a couple of months now. And the Keller thing," he scrubbed a hand over his face in a gesture that was pure Rodney. "You said something to him about how if he wanted a normal family with a perfect spouse, then he should've married Keller. At the time, I hadn't even known that Dad ever dated her."

"Huh, I'm surprised it never came up."

"Well, she's not around on Atlantis much anymore. Usually when I see her, it's back at the SGC. She's running a big research program there." He his shoulders hunched up again. "She's nice enough. I mean I like her, but after I found out about her and D2 it was just weird." He looked up at John finally, and he was sort of smirking. It was odd seeing one of Rodney's smiles on a face that looked so much like his own. "In the future she's married and has kids, three I think, but she still sometimes looks at my dad kinda funny. I think it freaked her out that he ended up with you."

Yeah, well John was still a little freaked out about that, but he wasn't admitting that to his fifteen year old son from the future.

"What about the rest of 'em?" John asked instead. "You seemed pretty okay with everyone else who was in the infirmary with us. They all still on Atlantis?" Rodney had said not to bother asking questions and maybe it wasn't fair to put his kid on the spot, but John wasn't trying to pry about the future so much as understand what was going on with David.

David gave an over exaggerated nod. "Oh yeah. It's actually kind of weird how... much the same everyone was. Although," he admitted with a sly shift to his expression, "it's also kind of cool knowing how different things are going to be. Who hooks up with who. Who's got kids." His head dropped in a jerky motion, and he gave another deep, shuddering sigh. "Who isn't around."

For as much as it felt awkward, it also felt right for John to put and arm over David's shoulders. John took it as a good sign that he didn't pull away. "Hey, you okay?" He was trying to offer comfort while at the same time it ate at his gut to know that someone—anyone of the people he knew and cared about in the city might not be there in fifteen years. So maybe the comfort was as much for him as for David. "You see someone who... who isn't around anymore?" He knew he shouldn't ask, but he couldn't help it. Maybe with enough information, it was something he could fix?

"No but, I know he's here. I mean, still alive and stuff."

"Look, David. I know that your Dad said you shouldn't talk about it, but if you want to, I won't say anything to him."

"No, it's not... D2 didn't say I shouldn't talk to anyone, but just that I should be careful because it might upset people. Also because he didn't want them bugging me." He leaned a little bit into John's side, so John curled his arm just a bit tighter. "It's just Torren," he said, finally.

John's heart slammed painfully against his ribs and he sucked in a sharp breath. "Torren?" But David had said that he and Torren were best friends... Had he been lying to Teyla? Is that why he'd asked if Torren was on Atlantis?

"Yeah," David said, voice harsh with anguish. "He never got to know his Dad, and even if he doesn't talk about it, I know it just kills him. He only has like vague memories of Kanaan and I think it's really hard for him to watch the rest of us spend time with our dads. I mean he's got..." he stopped himself again. "He's got more family now, but still, he really loved his dad."

John felt like a bastard for the rush of relief that swept through him. Not that he wasn't also saddened to learn about Kanaan, but Torren was... Torren was as much family as Teyla was. When John thought he'd never end up having kids of his own, he'd been okay with that because of Torren; because at least someone in his makeshift family group was going to continue on.

"What happened to Kanaan?"

"He got sick. I don't really know all of the details but it had something to do with the time just before Torren was born. Something that happened to him because of a Wraith. Torren doesn't talk about it much. I just know it happened when he was about eight or night, and... I dunno. I guess I thought... " Again, John felt the upwards heft of David's shoulders beneath his arm. "I just wish I could do something about it. I feel like I'm here, back in this time, for a reason and maybe that reason is to make sure Torren's dad doesn't die. I know D2 would probably tell me it was wrong to even think about something like that. What do you think?"

He looked up at John then with such desperation and no little bit of hope, that John couldn't bring himself to voice the immediate, "No way!" that had been his first instinct. Instead he just squeezed his arm and brought David in closer. "I don't know, David. I gotta be honest; I'd probably want to do the same thing if I were in your shoes, but you've got to consider the consequences. Who knows how that knowledge could affect what happens to Torren."

"Yeah, I suppose. I mean, I've thought a lot about it since we stepped through the gate to now. I just think that if it were Tor who was back here, and something had happened to you, or to D2? I'd have wanted him to try to fix it, yanno?"

John did know. "Yeah, I know, buddy. I know." He didn't know what else he could say. What he could do though, was dispel a myth that David seemed to have about his other dad. "Did you know, your Dad once saved my life by travelling through time?"

David squinted up at him. "Huh?"

John nodded. "Yep. See, this one time I was offworld and was coming back to Atlantis and there was a sunspot that flared through the path of the wormhole."

"Oh shit, really?"

"Yeah. I stepped out of that gate into an Atlantis ten thousand years into the future!" He could still remember taking his first breaths of that stale, hot air and the sense of wrongness that had accompanied them.

"What was it like? Was there anyone in the city?"

John shook his head. "Nope, it was abandoned. And the planet we were on had a sun that was going Supernova, so the oceans had dried up and Atlantis was mired in a sea of sand." He mock-shuddered. Or maybe it was a real shudder. "Anyway, I was walking through the empty Gate room when suddenly I heard your Dad's voice. He told me to get to the hologram projection room. And when I activated the console in that room, there was your dad."

"He made a hologram of himself? How?"

"You know, I don't know how he did that. I just know it was awesome because it was completely interactive and it was just like having him there with me. That made it a lot easier for me to deal with. He was a lot older though. Older than he is now even. It turns out that after I'd disappeared and didn't make it back to Atlantis," he decided against filling David in on the rest of the stuff Rodney had told him about. Didn't need to give the kid nightmares, "some bad stuff happened and he'd pretty much spentthe next thirty years of his life figuring out a way to get me back. He invented a whole new kind of math just to make it all happen." John said matter-of-factly. Like that was something you just did.

David was a smart kid though. Rodney smart. He just shook his head slowly from side to side in disbelief. "Holy crap. That's amazing."

"That's your dad." John said, feeling an odd ache in his chest.

David sniffled a little suspiciously. "Geez, he must really love you."

Okay, that explained the ache. Holy shit. If now wasn't a terrible time for an epiphany, he'd have probably have jumped up and ran ... well, either straight to Rodney, or maybe straight to his quarters to hole up for the next dozen years.

But now was not the time for a huge freak out. David was still looking up at him, cheeks a little damp, eyelashes in spikes, and a kind of wonder on his face.

This is what David needed. To know that even if they were fighting, his parents still loved each other. So John swallowed down the buckets of panic and elation and fear and whatever else was clawing its way up his esophagus and simply nodded and said, "Yeah, he really does."

David nodded. "Cool."

John laughed. "Yeah, it is pretty cool. So yanno, I'm sure whatever's going on between me and your Dad... they'll work it out. It's only because they love each other so much that they're fighting so hard." And yep, there it was. He just admitted his own feelings to himself.

"I hope you're right. Um hey, Dad?"

It surprised John how much he liked being called that.

"You mind if I spend a few more minutes out here, alone? I just need a minute."

"Yeah, okay." John couldn't see the harm in that. "You want me to come back and get you?"

"Nah." David shook his head. "I'll just go meet D2 in the labs. He's there with Uncle Radek, right?"

John nodded. "Yeah." He stood, giving David's shoulder one last, awkward pat. "I'll see ya later, okay?"

"Yep. See ya. Thanks again.

After his time on the pier, John debriefed with Woolsey, who was kind enough not to bring up the 'euphemistic double-talk issue' (though John knew he was saving that for some truly spectacular occasion—like when he could double it up with the annual mandatory 'safe sex through the Stargate' presentation they were all required to attend). Instead they reviewed the 'future Rodney' issue and Woolsey pretty much gave John carte blanche to do whatever he could to help out.

After his meeting he decided to head to the Science department to check in with Rodney.

John entered the lab to a familiar soundtrack: Rodney and Radek arguing.

"No, no, no. I'm telling you and you are not listening. You will need to keep setting same." Radek's hair was in wilder disarray than usual; a clear sign that even from the future and somewhat tempered by domesticity, Rodney could push his buttons and get him riled.

Rodney made a ridiculous sort of noise that almost sounded like a snort. "And I'm telling you that I know me!" He pointed to himself. "Even the old me, who is the me that's in the future and also trying to work out how to get back. And I know that he'll, which essentially means that I'll, adjust the settings."

Radek threw up his hands in frustration. "Fine, if that's what you want to do, do not blame me if you end up in wrong time."

"Fine, I won't."

"Fine."

John figured that they were one step away from a schoolyard 'did not, did too' so it was probably a good time to step in. "So how's it going down here?"

"He," Radek started before Rodney could get a word in, "is ridiculous and stubborn and even if tests had not proved it, I would have no doubt that this is our Rodney, only with less hair." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked smug.

Rodney's hand shot reflexively up to his head. "Hey, I'll have you know that I'm just wearing it shorter than I used to." He turned to John. "How it's going is that we think we've got the solution. Which is pretty much as simple as reversing what we did to get here. David and I need to go through the gate with the Temporal Scanner active and scanning at a certain, well let's just call it a temporal frequency. It should, essentially, form a connection with the Scanner operating at the same frequency when past Me goes through the gate. And we should both end up back where we started."

It sounded plausible. Well, as plausible as time travel could sound. Having experienced such a thing for himself, John knew it was possible, but that still didn't make it any easier to understand. "Okay, but how do you know that past you, who is in the future, will go through the gate with the scanner set to that same frequency?"

"Ha!" Radek interrupted. "That is point I am trying to make. You try to reason with him, Colonel. I am done." He made a dismissive swipe of his hands and stalked out of the lab, grumbling under his breath the whole way.

"I know this," Rodney said, after making a face at Radek's departing back, "because I know myself. I have actually considered things like this and have, over the years, made just about every single contingency plan you could imagine. I know what I would do in this situation and that would be to modify the settings of the temporal scanner to something specific and significant."

"And that is?" John asked, genuinely curious. The man's password to the Atlantis systems was made up of the birth years of three of history's greatest geniuses (his own included) and the number forty-two, from Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

Rodney looked a little flustered. "Well, considering how the Scanner works it's more or less a frequency that I'd need, so I'd set it at the equivalent of D4 on piano which is 293.665 hertz." At John's raised eyebrow he added, "I used to play piano, you know, and D4 is the forty-second key on a standard eighty-eight key keyboard."

"You know you use that forty-two reference a lot." John said.

Rodney's chin went up. "Yes, well it's a timeless reference," he said a trifle defensively. "And it stands to reason that for any contingency planning that I stick to patterns that are easy to remember and apply to non-standard situations."

"That's a good point."

"Yes, it is."

"So that's pretty much it then?" John asked. "You reset the scanner and then you and David go through the gate?"

"Yeah," Rodney nodded. "Pretty much. I'd like to wait until tomorrow, because though intellectually I understand that it's not how time travel works, I also know that me from fifteen years ago would definitely want us, meaning me and past me, to coordinate our return attempts to twenty-four hour intervals. So tomorrow, same time as we gated in, David and I will gate out." He looked around suddenly. "Where's David?"

John frowned. "What do you mean? I thought he was here with you? I figured you'd sent him out for coffee or something."

Rodney shook his head. "No, he told me that he talked to you and that he was going to meet back up with you to see if he could talk you into getting a ride in one of the Jumpers."

"He told me that he was going to come down to the labs to see if you needed anything, and to keep you and Zelenka from throttling each other."

"Crap," Rodney swore. "What the hell is that damn kid up too?"

John reached his limit on the swearing. "You know, maybe he'd be more willing to talk to you if you stopped referring to him as 'damn kid'."

Rodney blinked at the vehemence in John's tone, and then his eyes went wide with realization. "Oh! You didn't... I thought you realized it's just a joke. Jesus, John, you can't really think that I'd say that in any seriousness?"

"I don't know," John admitted, feeling guilt start to creep up. "David told me how things are between you and me. I mean, from your time." Yeah, John had also had a big ass epiphany about this feelings for Rodney, but now wasn't the time to dwell on that.

"Oh."

"Yeah," John agreed with a grim nod, echoing Rodney's snarky response from earlier, "'Oh'. I don't..." He reached out, but hesitated before his hand could touch Rodney and closed his fist around air. "I don't know why things are so bad between you and me, in the future, I mean. David really didn't elaborate on what happened. He just said that I've been staying in my old quarters and that you and I aren't speaking much. He's really upset about it and I just don't want any of whatever crap we have," he waved a hand between the two of them, "to get taken out on our kid."

"Look," Rodney straightened and his mouth thinned into a flat, disapproving line, "you and I may have our issues in the future and it sucks, but I don't treat my kids badly because of it. I call him 'damn kid' because that's his nickname. You're the one who came up with it, actually."

"Why would I come up with something like that?"

"Because his full name is David Aiden McKay-Sheppard. The last name is hyphenated so his initials are D A M. Thus, 'dam kid'."

Something clenched in John's chest at hearing his son's full name. "Aiden, huh?" He smiled and knew it probably looked a little soppy.

Rodney's expression softened. "Yeah. If he hadn't come to us pre-named, I think that would've ended up as his first name."

"I meant to ask about that. I mean, my brother and I are getting along better but," John lifted one shoulder lazily, "we're definitely not to the namesake stage yet."

"Right, I probably should've explained that too. On Varidace it's customary for kids to be named for Aunts or Uncles." His eyelids shuttered as his gaze dropped to the floor. "You uh, mentioned it to Verarr that... that night." When he looked back up, his cheeks were just starting to pink. "She asked us if we had any siblings and you mentioned your brother. They actually pronounced it Dah-ay-vid, but we decided to stick with the traditional pronunciation."

John didn't pick up on the chance to talk about 'that night', because really what could he say to a Rodney who'd clearly long since gotten past any issues he had with it. John was the one who only just accepted how he felt and was still stumbling over his feelings, and yeah, it was good to know that at some point (likely in the very near future) he and Rodney were going to work it out, but he wasn't ready to go there now. Not with a Rodney who'd already been there. "I'm glad you stick with David," was all he said, instead. "I mean, rather than Dave."

"You insisted," Rodney said with a slightly fond grin. "I think that if Verarr hadn't been so pleased with having given him a," he lifted his hands to crook both his pointer and index fingers in air quotes, "proper 'Earth name', we might not have felt so obligated to keep it."

"So, dam kid, huh? Where do you suppose that dam kid is?" Okay, now that it was rolling off his tongue, John could totally see how he'd been the one to come up with that.

Huffing an irritated breath, Rodney pushed past him to the nearest computer. "I'm not sure, but like I said, he's got a few favorite spots he likes to hang out. I'll start the internal sensors scanning for his subcue. Since he's not in the system, I'll have to do a reverse scan which will take more time." He looked up at John as John joined him at the desk. "Did he say anything that might give you a clue?"

John thought back to his conversation with his son. The whole thing had been kind of overwhelming and probably far too revealing, but he tried to focus on the points that had seemed to affect David the most. "He told me about Kanaan," he said, feeling odd at the sorrow that accompanied that thought. Mourning a man who wasn't dead didn't seem to make sense.

The corner of Rodney's mouth that always angled down when he was upset or deep in thought slanted down sharply. "That's something that's been troubling him more and more lately. After his Mom..." Rodney turned away suddenly, bringing a hand up to swipe at his eyes.

"Rodney?" John reached out and lightly put his hand down on Rodney's shoulder. He squeezed it once, before letting his hand fall away.

"Sorry. We've always stayed close with David's mother. David would go and stay with her for weekends sometimes. It wasn't that she insisted on being a part of his life, she was perfectly at peace with being a surrogate, but she was always..." Even though John couldn't see his face, John could hear the soft smile in his voice. "She was the reason you and I got together and she was always special to the both of us. And to David as well." He exhaled heavily. " Verarr died in childbirth. Did David tell you?"

Since Rodney wasn't looking at him, he didn't see John's head shake. "No," he voiced the gesture.

Rodney spun back to him and his eyes were narrowed and a little bit shiny. His chin was lifted defiantly though, and John recognized that Rodney was fighting very hard to keep some emotion in check.

"I'm trying not to reveal too much, you know, but it's difficult. Despite the fact that I know that your future may not come out the same as mine any longer, I'm still completely sure that David and I will return to our existing time no matter what happens here. I'm not saying that our actions here are without consequence, but I've also witnessed enough parallel universes to believe that changes cause divergent universes..." he trailed off and flipped a hand around. "I'm babbling. The point is that I'm not worried about changing my future or the time I came from, although I still probably shouldn't be telling you all of this but... Christ, John. In my time you and I are married and you know all of this and I can talk to you about anything."

He sniffed. "Well, I could. But see, that's the point I'm getting to. One of the reasons that you and I aren't talking, as David alluded too, is because of Verarr." He cocked his head to the side, like a curious bird. "Did David tell you about Jeanniebeth?"

John shook his head, struggling to follow the abrupt left-turn in the conversation. "Uh, no. Who's that?"

To John's surprise, Rodney smiled then and it was a wide and almost happy expression. "Jean Elizabeth McKay-Sheppard, our daughter."

It was a good thing there was a workstation right behind John, because he probably would've fallen over without the support. It still caught him right in the kidneys as he stumbled back a step and bounced off of it. "Daughter?" he sputtered.

Rodney nodded rapidly. "Oh yes. We have a daughter as well. She's eight and a holy terror and she's the cause of most of these grey hairs," he pointed to his head. "David was an angel compared to that one."

"Did she... I mean, did we get her the..." How did he phrase this?

Luckily Rodney could interpret him even at his most mono-syllabic and non-verbal. "Yes, she was conceived the same way. Verarr was more than willing." His grin turned impish. "I won't spoil it for you, but there are a few other couples on Atlantis who also contracted with the Luminaries of Varidace for kids of their very own. We actually have a daycare center on Atlantis now. Or, will, in the future."

"Wow." He wondered what a daughter of theirs would look like. He had to ask. "Uh, do you have a picture of her? Jeanniebeth?"

Rodney did. Actually he had better. Since he was still in his civvies after gating back from the SGC he had his wallet on him. He pulled out a device that looked like a business-card thin cellphone, fiddled with it for a minute, and then held it out to John. It was a short, looping video of a little girl running up to the camera, posing before it with a huge smile and then running off a moment later, giggling all the while.

"Cool. Very Harry Potter."

Rodney huffed out a surprised chortle.

His daughter had a pixie face, John's ears (what was with their kids ending up with his ears?) and his hazel eyes as well, but there was a lot of Rodney in her cheeks and brow and the shape of her chin. She looked positively mischievous, either in spite, or because of the dimples poking in those rosy cheeks. He couldn't decide. Her hair was a messy tangle of dusty brown-blonde waves and curls that was probably going to drive her crazy when she was a little older but end up ridiculously gorgeous given enough effort.

Rodney could apparently read his thoughts because he nodded. "Yeah, that hair. I won't tell you how many battles we've had over combing that mess. This picture was taken just a few weeks before she finally, finally, let us cut it. And we had to agree to let her get a pony."

"What?"

"Well, not to keep on Atlantis, of course." Rodney hurried to reassure him. "They're keeping more and more livestock on the Athosian settlement on Lantia Three. They've started trading with that planet that had the horses, that we visited our first year in the city, remember?" John nodded, so Rodney continued, "Anyway, a couple of the Athosians have become quite the horse traders and some of us, namely you, keep horses there to ride. So, Jeanniebeth gets a pony of her very own soon."

John couldn't help the fond grin curling at his mouth. He didn't know his daughter yet, but he could already see how much he was going to love being her dad.

"So, we've got two kids, huh?" He handed the device back to Rodney. He didn't want to see Rodney sad again, but there was something Rodney wanted to tell him and John recognized avoidance tactics. "Were we thinking of having more?" he prompted gently.

Rodney tucked the photo thing back into a pocket and this time his quick smile was somewhat self-deprecating. "I forget sometimes that even back here, now, before we were even together, you knew me so well." He rubbed at his brow with the thumb and forefinger of one hand. "Yeah, we were talking about having one more. And then Verarr died. It happened during childbirth. Her eighteenth delivery, can you imagine? I used to tease her about spending so much of her life pregnant, but she loved it."

The hand dropped away and John could see the glint of watery reflection in Rodney's eyes.

"It was an unforeseen complication and it happened back on Varidace. Her people contacted us right away, but by the time we got a med team planet-side it was too late. Anyway," Rodney inhaled sharply and then let the breath out slowly, regaining some composure, "we'd been planning on talking to her about one more. After she was gone, I was pretty much done with the idea of having anymore, but he..."

Rodney's eyes flicked up to lock on John's. It was hard for John not to look away from the raw emotion in the ocean-blue depths. "You didn't want to give up on the idea. You want one more." There was a sound in his voice that John felt as palpable betrayal. "I just don't understand why you're so set on that, when you know it's not what I want."

John gripped Rodney's shoulders and held him firm, ducking his head a little when Rodney tried to look away. "I can't speak for him, Rodney. I haven't been through the things with you that the two of you have experienced. But I know me, and I know that I wouldn't do something like this to hurt you. Maybe it's... I don't know. Maybe it's his way of trying to show you that what you have together isn't just because of what happened that night with Verarr?"

"What do you mean?" Rodney didn't pull away, but he did lean his head back and shift his arms a little in John's grip so that he could eye JOhn more clearly.

"Rodney, I'm telling you as me, the John Sheppard of right now. The one who doesn't have a kid with you yet and isn't married to you and is still a little messed up about the fact that you and I pretty much had sex-by-proxy. Despite the fact that I'm still dealing with that, I can tell you with absolute certainty that nothing happened with Verarr that I didn't already want to happen. Yeah, maybe her bringing us to her room was the impetus that made it happen, but even if that had never happened, I would've wanted it to. You and me, I mean. The Rodney of right now? I'm freakishly messed up about how I feel about him. Hell, when you came through the gate with a kid and a wedding ring and all of that? I was relieved, because it meant that sooner or later I'm going to get my head out of my ass, and Rodney's going to get his head out of his ass, and we're going to admit that we're crazy about each other."

John broke off, practically panting with the exertion of spitting all of that out. It felt damn near cathartic to say and if he was honest with himself, he was probably only saying it because this Rodney was ready to hear it.

"Wow John, that's... I don't even know what to say to that." Behind Rodney the computer dinged. He frowned apologetically and leaned down to view the results, muttering, "I forgot how slow these used to be without the extra ZedPM power to augment them." He straightened sharply, like a rubber band snapping back, his back protesting the sudden move with a loud cracking. "Crap!"

"What?"

"David," Rodney turned to him, eyes wild and wide. "He's not on Atlantis."

"What?" John exclaimed. "How in the hell is that possible?"

Rodney shook his head, "I don't know, John. I don't know." He was getting that close-to-panic look on his face again.

John held up a calming hand. "Let me just check in with Chuck." He tapped his headset. "Command, this is Colonel Sheppard. Has anyone dialed out of Atlantis in the past," he looked down at his watch, "hour or so?"

"Colonel Sheppard?" Chuck replied, puzzled. "When did you get back?"

John felt his own eyes fly open. "What do you mean 'when did I get back'?" he shouted, "I never left!"

"But sir, you requested permission to take a Jumper out almost forty-five minutes ago."

"Chuck," John ground out, "does it sound like I'm in a Jumper right now?" Rodney's mouth went slack.

"Uh, no, Sir. But we did have a Jumper leave Atlantis just a few minutes after your request was acknowledged and approved."

"Right, great. See if you can track that Jumper, Chuck, we're on our way up to command." He tapped the radio off and met Rodney's eyes. "I think he took a Jumper out. I don't know how the hell he managed that, because Chuck says that I requested it—"

"Damn kid!" Rodney growled.

John suddenly got the difference between that phrase as a nickname, and a genuine expression of aggravation.

"You know how he did it?" John asked, already jogging alongside Rodney who'd rushed for the door.

"Yes," Rodney spat back at him. "Okay, remember how I said that Jeanniebeth gave me most of these grey hairs? Well, there are a specific few that are David-induced. That boy can imitate your voice almost perfectly, and until personnel in the city were instructed to get confirmation that they were actually talking to you, he got away with murder. Stealing jumpers was just one of his little acts of defiance."

He paused to wait for a door to slide open and added a grumbling, "It doesn't help that this city loves him almost more than she loves you and purrs like a kitten for his every whim."

"Colonel Sheppard?"

John tapped his headset. "This is Sheppard. What've you got, Chuck?"

"Sir, Jumper Four is out of sensor range," Chuck reported.

"Out of sensor range in forty-five minutes? How the hell is that even possible?"

"I don't know, Sir."

"Right. Do me a favor and figure out its last known position and send that information to Jumper Three. McKay and I are taking it out." He closed the channel and then hooked an arm around Rodney's elbow. "C'mon, we're heading to the Jumper Bay so we can go after him."

They ran into Radek who looked to be heading back to the labs with a mug of coffee in each hand. "What is problem?" he asked, watching them jog past.

"My idiot son 'borrowed' a Jumper," Rodney shot back. "We're going after him."

"Wait," Radek hollered after them.

There was something in his tone that made John instinctively jerk to a halt, feet sliding on the smooth floors. Rodney almost plowed him over, but used John as a stopping post and practically swung himself around John's torso as he skidded to a stop. "What?" Rodney spat out. "What's wrong?"

"Which Jumper?" Radek asked frantically, slopping coffee over the floor as he hurried over too them. "Which Jumper did he take?"

"Four," Sheppard said. "Chuck said it was Jumper Four that left Atlantis."

The coffee mugs fell out of Radek's hands to splash and clatter on the ground as he surged forward and all but shoved John and Rodney into motion. "Go, now. You must go." He followed on their heels when they started running again, explaining. "Jumper Four was down for repair. One of her Drive pods is showing fluctuations in stability. Issue is intermittent. We haven't been able to pin-point source yet."

"Crap," Rodney swore as they reached the Jumper bay, "I think I remember that Jumper. And if I'm right, we've gotta hurry." He scrambled up the ramp of the closest ship. "Radek, I need you to get back to the labs and send me everything you've got on that Jumper. And I need you to see if you've got any data on the drive pod power regulators."

As Radek hurried to follow Rodney's instructions, John settled into the pilot's seat. Once Rodney was seated next to him, he opened the bay's iris door and lifted off. "Where too?"

"Just head for the atmosphere. If he disappeared from sensor range that fast he probably got off the planet as fast as possible."

"How good of a pilot is he?" John wanted to know. "I mean, can he handle the Jumper if something starts to go wrong?"

Rodney held up a hand and waggled it back and forth. "You've had him in Jumpers since before he could walk. I think the first time you let him take the control stick he was maybe seven?" Rodney looked up from the data he was studying to frown. "He's good. I won't deny that. He's probably already better at flying the damn things than I am. But he's young and cocky and hasn't had a lot of experience with flying a jumper under duress."

"So we need to get to him before something happens to that Jumper."

Rodney's mouth was a grim line and he jerked his head in a quick confirmation.

"Any idea where he's going?"

"Well the fact that he went off sensors is a clue."

"How so?"

"Even if he were out of comm range, Atlantis still should've been able to track the Jumper." Rodney brought up a map of the solar system the screen. "But there's that weird little debris field around the fourth moon of the gas giant here," he pointed, "that screws with sensors." He turned to John with frown. "Remember that little tidbit for the future. Just saying."

"Huh? Rodney what are you—"

Rodney held up a finger, "Chuck's just sent me the telemetry data from before Jumper Four disappeared off the sensors. I need a minute to triangulate..." He went silent a moment. "Yep, I know where he's headed," Rodney declared just thirty seconds later. "We didn't know about it yet, I mean right now, but there's an abandoned Space Gate in orbit around the sixth planet in this system.

"Another functional gate in this solar system? Isn't that a little weird."

"Well, if you consider the fact that until we landed Atlantis here," Rodney pointed out, "we didn't know there'd ever been a 'gate in this system."

John supposed that they'd picked Lantia Three because of the planet's characteristics rather than its lack of a gate. They'd found a planet with the right environment, substantial oceanic coverage and confirmed were no other inhabited planets in the system and then set the city down. "How far out is it?"

"About an hour and a half, by Jumper. He's got about half that as a head start. Just follow the coordinates I feed to the console and any tricks you know to squeeze a little more speed out of this thing? You have my full permission to fly like a crazy person."

"Duly noted," John grinned as he made a minor course adjustment that would take them probably closer than Rodney would have liked to one of the moons of the fourth planet in the system. "So you think he's headed to this gate? To go where?"

"I think he's going to New Athos."

John got it then. "He's going to talk to Kanaan, isn't he?"

"He mentioned it to me right after we came through the gate." Rodney shook his head, frowning. "I told him it wasn't a good idea."

"Yeah," John nodded. "He talked to me about it too. He asked me what I'd do." He looked over at Rodney. "I couldn't lie to him. I mean, given the chance to go back and fix something? Rodney, you basically gave me that chance once. So I couldn't exactly tell him I wouldn't take the chance."

Rodney shook his head, though his mouth was set into a wry smirk. "Yeah, that damn kid is more like you than makes me comfortable sometimes." John was surprised to see the smirk drop into a full blown scowl. "Big damn hero complex and all."

"Hey!" John protested, "what's that supposed to mean?"

Rodney pivoted the console chair to face him. "It means that even fifteen years from now when you've got two kids and a husband who all love you, you still pull stupid, reckless, asinine stunts that nearly get you killed." Both his hand went up into wild, flailing gestures. "Oh sure, it's all well and good now when you've got no one to be responsible for but yourself. Never mind your team and your best friend. But even when you've got everything, everything to lose, you still pull that shit. I'm sick of it, John. I'm sick and damn tired of it."

John knew that Rodney's panic over David was the likely source of this outburst, but he also recognized that Rodney was getting something off of his chest that had likely been building up and festering a good long while. The only problem was that he was saying it to the wrong John.

So instead of getting angry—his first instinct had been to protest, loudly—he just looked at Rodney and said sincerely, "I'm sorry, Rodney."

Rodney had obviously been expecting the denial and argument because he puffed up and started to make blustery disbelieving noises.

"I'm not him, Rodney." John continued gently. "Not yet. But even right now. Even without having everything that he has that's made him who he is to you, I know that he's the one who needs to hear that." He took a hand off the controls for a minute to drag his fingers through his hair. "You probably know this about me, Rodney. At least after thirteen years of marriage, I hope you do. But, I'm really shitty at talking about my feelings. And if I'm feeling insecure about something?" He huffed out a laugh. "The last thing I'm going to do is want to talk about it. I don't know how it is with you and me, but don't let me get away with shutting you out, okay? That shit you just said to me?" He moved the hand again, this time to point at Rodney, "Say it to him. I'm guessing he needs to hear it."

Rodney truly looked gobsmacked by that suggestion.

John shook his head ruefully. "I can already imagine how our arguments go. A lot of noise and angry words, but not a lot of substance, right?"

"Yeah," Rodney reluctantly agreed, "that's usually about right."

"Well, maybe you should skip the shouting and go straight to the conversation?"

"That would be novel," Rodney chuffed out a soft laugh.

The console in front of Rodney pinged, and he spun back to it. "I've got something. Picking up an energy reading." His fingers flew over the screens. "I'm sending you new coordinates."

John adjusted course, and thought 'sensors' at the Jumper. The HUD flashed on, showing him the energy signature Rodney was referring to. "Huh, that's pretty close. Think that's him?"

Rodney gave a quick nod. "Yeah, the output is consistent with a Puddlejumper. No, wait..."

"So it's not him?"

"John, hurry."

"Rodney, I'm flying as fast as I can."

Rodney lifted his head and his face was pale and bleak. "No, John. You have to go faster. The energy reading is increasing. I think there's an overload building up in the drive pod."

"What?" He exclaimed, even as he frantically thought 'faster, c'mon baby, you gotta go faster,' as hard as he could at the ship.

"It's gonna explode, John." Rodney swiped an arm over his eyes almost violently.

"You don't know that, Rodney," John said desperately. "You can't know that."

"Yes I do!" He practically wailed. "In my past, maybe a few months from now, we had a gate team take Jumper Four out. Radek and I put that damn machine through every single scan and test we could think to run. We thought we'd pinpointed the problem and had it fixed. She ran through her shake-down flight fine. But we were wrong. We missed something."

"Did you lose anyone?" John was afraid to ask, but he had to know.

"No. But it was only through sheer dumb luck that we didn't. The team went through the gate, only to get stuck in an unexpected set of ruins that toppled a few trees in the area over the gate. The MALP had gone through, but they hadn't panned the camera up, so it looked clear. They didn't want to take the time to clear the trees, so the team left the Jumper parked near the gate, and headed to the settlement on foot. They'd only gone a few miles when the damn thing exploded. It damaged the planet side DHD, so the team was stranded until they missed check-in. But if they hadn't been stuck by those trees, they would've flown the Jumper closer to the settlement and..." he trailed off.

"Whose team?"

"Does it matter?" Rodney asked sullenly, jabbing at the screen.

It didn't really, but John wanted to know. If it was something else he could ensure never happened, he was going to see to it.

"AR-2. Lorne's team."

Shit. He coaxed the Jumper even more. Radek would've been in that Jumper. A vehicle he trusted to be safe. David probably trusted that the Jumper he was driving was safe. John had apparently been letting him drive the damn ships since he was just a kid. Christ, what an irresponsible bastard he'd been.

"We're not going to make it, John. These readings..." he trailed off.

"We'll make it Rodney."

"John... Oh god, John."

John didn't want to hear Rodney's broken voice. He refused to acknowledge the blip of light on the HUD that was the signal they were speeding towards glowing brighter for a moment and then wink out entirely.

"John," Rodney said again, more insistent.

"No, Rodney. I'm not going to let this happen." But it had happened. The signal was gone. That could only mean one thing.

John refused to acknowledge it and gripped the controls even tighter, a continual mantra of 'faster, go faster' running through his mind, to the exclusion of all else.

"John!" This time Rodney shouting his name was accompanied by a hard slap. "John, slow down. Dammit, slow down!"

"Why, Rodney? Why the hell should I?"

Rodney curled a hand around the back of his neck, and forcibly turned John's head so that he could see the spot on the HUD he was pointing to. "Because I'm getting an emergency signal from there. It's the signal from one of the EVA suits." He gave John's head a not so gentle shake. "It's gotta be David. He's in one of the space suits, John, and if you don't slow the damn ship down, we're going to fly right past him."

John eased back on the throttle control and let the world come back into focus around him. "Oh thank Christ... Rodney. Thank god. Can you raise him on the comms? Are we close enough?"

Rodney let his fingers slide slowly off of John’s neck, then settled back in his seat and tapped the comm button. "David, can you hear me?"

"Dad?" David's voice was faint and fuzzy, but unmistakable.

"Yes, this is your father." He glanced sideward at John, "both of your fathers. You're in big trouble, young man."

"I know, D2." He sounded pretty damn guilty. "Uh, how soon are you going to get here?"

"ETA is three minutes, David."

"Oh good. Cuz uh, I got caught in the edge of the blast wave from the Puddlejumper explosion, and it sort of fucked up my oxygen tanks. I think I've got a slow leak."

Rodney thumbed off the mic for a second. "Oh my god, I think I'm going to have a heart attack." He took two very deep breaths and then hit the mic again. "How much time does the indicator say you have?"

"Uh, about seven minutes."

Rodney flipped the mic off again and grumbled something unintelligible, followed by an expectant, "John."

"Yeah, I'm flying faster again, Rodney. Here's the plan: close the bulkhead door, we'll open the ramp and I'll scoop him up. We don't have any time for fancy space walks."

"Right, right." He engaged the door control and then explained the plan to David. "Just try to keep still. Your Dad is going to just back the Jumper up, with the hatch open and catch you. As soon as you're inside we'll close the door and I'll come back to help you out of the suit."

John couldn't recall a more harrowing few minutes as he spun the ship, and then slowly backed it towards his own son, floating in the void of space. He relied half on the Jumper's sensors, and half on his own intuition.

Rodney hovered by the bulkhead door, anxiously.

"Okay," David's voice finally came over the comm. "I'm in."

John slammed a hand on the hatch control and then put the Jumper in an equivalent of 'park'. He watched the readings as the rear cabin re-pressurized and then as soon as it was good he said, "Go!" to Rodney.

He was only a half-step behind - needing a moment to pry his cramped hand from the control stick - as Rodney rushed into the rear compartment. David was lying on the floor, already struggling with the helmet of the suit. John knelt on the opposite side as Rodney and they helped work it off.

As soon as he was free of the helmet and taking big gulps of air, John rocked back on his heels, and then slumped against the bench seat.

Rodney pulled David up to hug him, but let go when David gasped out, "Air, Dad! Trying to breath here."

"God, David." Rodney was clearly torn between wanting to desperately hold his son, and wanting to desperately throttle him. "Do you know how... I mean, what the hell... how could you..."

John rarely saw Rodney at a loss for words. Maybe someday he'd find it amusing. He didn't right now. He spoke for Rodney instead. "What the hell were you thinking, damn kid?"

"I'm sorry, Dad. D2. I didn't know there was something wrong with the Jumper. I would never have taken it..."

"Don't," Rodney snapped, "Don't lie. You stole that Jumper and you were just unlucky enough to grab the wrong one."

"Fine, I know." David responded sullenly. "It was stupid and I shouldn't have done it. Happy?"

"Happy?" Rodney threw his head back and laughed and it was a terrible sound. "David I just watched on my sensors as the ship that I thought my son was piloting exploded. How can you even ask that?"

"Oh." David's voice went small. "God, D2, I'm sorry. I didn't think..."

"How did you know to get in the HVA suit and off the ship?" John interrupted to ask. He could tell that Rodney was just too raw and too far gone right now. The very few times he'd seen Rodney even this close to ... whatever this could be called, hurt and devastated didn't even begin to cover it... Rodney'd lashed out and said some things he'd come to regret. John didn't want to see that happen here.

David was obviously familiar as well, because he grasped at the thread of conversation like a drowning man reaching for a rescue rope. "I started noticing something hinky with the drive pod about twenty minutes or so from the City. I checked the readings and there was a weird fluctuation that caused the propulsion generator to start building up a charge. I couldn't find a way to stop it and I wasn't sure if I had enough time to make it to the Spacegate or back to Atlantis. So I figured that the best bet would be to suit up, set the auto pilot on the Jumper to get it away from me, and then go EVA."

He frowned petulantly. "I thought I'd be clear of the blast radius by the time the drive pod overloaded, but I was wrong. I got caught in the edge of it and it knocked me around quite a bit." From the way his eyes had gone all-around white, John knew that had scared him.

He looked up at John, all big-eyed and said, "But I knew you and D2 were coming. I figured it wouldn't be long before you knew I'd gone... and that you'd probably come after me."

"You're lucky, David. You know that?" Rodney ground out. "Damn lucky that your father and I came after you. We could've gone through the gate to find you, did you ever think of that?

David shook his head glumly. "No, I didn't. But Dad, it's not like I took off expecting this to happen. I really thought I'd just get to New Athos and talk to Kanaan and be on my way home in a matter of hours."

"What was so damn important that you couldn't just wait to ask permission and decided the most reasonable course of action was to steal a damn jumper?"

"I just wanted to get to New Athos before we've got to go home." David explained plaintively "I need to fix this, Dad."

Rodney gave a heavy sigh that involved his whole body tensing and then slumping. "Alright, fine. If you're that set on talking to Kanaan and Teyla about this, I'll tell you what: your Dad and I will go with you to talk to Teyla. We'll support you if this is the decision you want to make."

"You will?" David looked on the verge of tears. Which was kind of miraculous that that was what engendered such a profound reaction, yet he'd seemed perfectly nonplused at floating in the vast emptiness of space, in a damaged HVA suit, unsure of his chances of being rescued.

God, Rodney was right. He was sooo John's kid.

Two hours later, after a much more relaxed flight back to the city and then a rather embarrassing debriefing with Woolsey, John stood inside Teyla's quarters with David. Rodney, for all of his talk, had pretty much chickened out and was waiting outside the door. He encouraged David with a slight nudge to the center of his back.

Teyla patted the couch, inviting David to join her and he did so slowly. "David," she said, her tone calm and encouraging in the face of his obvious reluctance. "I understand there's something you wanted to talk to Kanaan and I about? I'm sorry he couldn't be here, but I'd like you to talk to me about it if you would?"

Wide-eyed, David swallowed and then nodded. "Yeah. I..." he looked over at Rodney, who gave an encouraging nod. "Yes, there is something. Aunt Teyla, there's something you need to know... about Kanaan."

"David," Teyla said gently, "I believe I know what it is you're going to tell me."

"No," David shook his head emphatically, "Aunt Teyla, it's—"

Teyla held up a hand, touching David's cheek. "It is about Kanaan, is it not?"

David nodded.

"He is sick. Is that what you wish to tell me?"

David's jaw fell slack. "You know?" he asked in a small voice.

"Yes," Teyla told him, her voice betraying nothing but the same pleasant calm, "we know. Kanaan has been seeking treatment with Doctor Beckett for some time now." John frowned. He hadn't known any of this. He felt awful for not being able to be there for Teyla. Why wouldn't she have told him something so important?

"His condition is being managed as well as possible and Carson has been able to slow its progress. We've chosen to keep this news to ourselves for now," she glanced up at John, her smile apologetic but asking for his understanding. He nodded and returned the small smile. "But we know that it will eventually become worse. We are preparing for that time."

"But there's gotta be something you can do."

This time Teyla's expression faltered, just the slightest. "And we are doing it, David. Kanaan and I and Torren are enjoying our lives together and living them to the fullest. We will ensure that Torren has many wonderful memories of his father as he can. When the time comes, Kanaan and I will be ready." She put her hands on David's shoulder and pulled him close. David knew the ritual, because he bowed his head and let his forehead rest against Teyla's. "But thank you for thinking so much of Torren that you would do something that must be very hard for you. It will warm Kanaan's heart to know that Torren will have such a loyal and caring best friend when he grows."

That was too much for David. He lurched closer, throwing his arms around Teyla's shoulders, burying his head in the crook of her neck.

Teyla looked up at John, and though there were tears on her eyes, she smiled again. He had to force one in return, pushing it past the frown that wanted to form. He jerked his head towards the door, asking if he should leave them alone for a bit. Teyla nodded.

John left her quarters and rejoined Rodney outside.

"How'd that go?" Rodney asked quietly.

"They already know. Teyla and Kanaan." John felt a catch in his throat. "They've been dealing with it for a while, apparently." He dropped his chin to his chest.

To John's surprise he felt arms come around him, as Rodney gathered him in to a hug. He froze for a moment, and then with a mental chastisement to stop being such a jackass, he let himself relax into it. God, how had he never hugged Rodney before? The man was a natural at it.

He drew back only when the feeling of being held shifted from 'comfort' to 'awkward' (which was quite a long time) and when he was far enough back to look Rodney in the eye, he was about to say 'thanks' when Rodney leaned forward and kissed him. Maybe it was meant to convey Rodney's own version of 'thanks' but to John it felt more like the kiss of a man who had been denied the opportunity to kiss his estranged husband for far too long.

Still, John couldn't bring himself to pull away. That night with Verarr they'd kissed a few times, but not nearly enough. John loved the feeling of Rodney's wide, mobile lips slicking against his and the tease of his tongue, and he kissed back just as enthusiastically.

"I'm sorry," Rodney said immediately when he finally pulled back. "I shouldn't have done that. I... the first time I kiss you properly should be... well, me. Your me. Not me, me." He rolled his eyes. "God I hate dealing with pronouns when it comes to time travel."

John, who was pretty damn distracted by the way the breath of Rodney's words chilled the damp on his lips from when Rodney's tongue had swept across them, just nodded dumbly. "Uh, yeah."

"But it's not like cheating, right?" Rodney asked suddenly. "I mean, kissing past you?"

He looked so distraught that it pulled John out of his haze. "Rodney, you kissed the man you married. It's not cheating." He held up a hand when it looked like Rodney might have more to say on that (John worried slightly that he might want to make a suggestion about other things he could do with the man he'd married), "But you're right. I should do that with my Rodney."

Rodney nodded. "Yeah, and also when there's not a gorgeous woman in the bed with us as a buffer."

Rueful, John could only incline his head in acknowledgment. "That too."

"Although, I have to say, repeating that experience wasn't so bad, either." He grinned irreverently.

"I'll keep that in mind." John canted his head towards the corridor. "C'mon, I think David needs some time with Teyla. Why don't we head to the mess and see if the food is as good as I'm sure you remember it too be."

"Sounds good." Rodney clapped him on the shoulder and they headed down the hall side by side.

The next morning John met up with Rodney and David for breakfast and they had what could only be called a ‘nice, family meal’ before they got ready to make the attempt to send Rodney and David home. As they talked and laughed and he listened to Rodney make snarky comments and David give back as good as he got, John decided he could really see a future like this for himself.

All too soon it was time for them to get going. As desperately as he wanted his Rodney back, John would also miss this one. And his son, as well; David was more than he could ever have hoped for in a son.

"Where are you dialing too?" John asked as he took up a spot next to David at the bottom of the gate room stairs.

"SGC," Rodney replied. "We want to recreate the original conditions of the time displacement as accurately as possible. It's the logical place to dial."

"Right."

"Dialing the SGC," Chuck called from above them.

John watched the lights chase across the ring and then the chevrons light up one by one. When they all went bright, and the event horizon rushed out and then back into the field of coruscating blue, Chuck confirmed. "We have the SGC. They're ready to receive you, Doctor McKay."

Rodney turned to him. "Well, this is goodbye. Well, goodbye for now, I guess." He grinned and shook his head. "Hard to believe it was only yesterday we came through that gate."

"No kidding." So much of John's world had been turned upside down; it was hard to fathom that so little time had actually passed. "Do me a favor, would you?"

"What's that?"

"Just talk to him." John said simply. Then decided to ruin the effect of that simple statement by adding, "All that stuff you said to me? Say it to him. Believe me when I say he needs to hear it. He knows you love him, he really does. Hell, I know it Rodney. I'm just really shitty at letting myself believe the things I want are actually mine, so sometimes I need a little reminding."

Rodney nodded. "I'll give that a try, John. I'm sure we'll work it out. I think I needed a reminder as well." He wrapped his fingers around John's wrist and gave a quick squeeze. "God I forgot how sexy you were when you were younger."

John honked out a laugh. "Gee, thanks, Rodney."

"Seriously though, John. I have the memories of how things played out between your me and you, and I think you need to take your own advice. We ended up figuring our shit out, eventually, but it could've gone a lot smoother if we'd just stopped being idiots and talked to each other. Give it a shot, alright?"

John nodded. "I will." He turned to David, who was studiously ignoring their conversation. "Hey dam kid, c'mere." He pulled David into a hug, despite his protests that, "Ugh, Dad this is so not cool."

"Tough," John said, his voice gruff with all sorts of feelings. "It's going to be fifteen years before I see you again, you can suffer through it." He held tighter for just a minute more, and then stepped back.

David made a show of puling his jacket straight and adjusting the skateboard under his arm. "It's been cool, Dad. Thanks for, you know, everything."

"Just doing my job." He jerked his head towards Rodney. "You do yours. Make sure your idiot dads get their shit together, would you?"

David laughed. "Hell yeah, Dad."

"Watch your mouth, damn kid." Rodney sniped, but the smile he couldn't hide around his eyes gave him away.

"C'mon, damn kid, let's get home." Rodney took David's arm and they walked up to the waiting Stargate. He looked back just before stepping through, "See you soon, John."

John lifted a hand.

They passed through the gate and John waited, looking up toward the control room expectantly. "Incoming transmission," Chuck called down. There was a pause and then, "I've just received confirmation from the SCG that Doctor McKay, and only Doctor McKay has arrived safe and sound."

John sighed, a feeling of relief coursing through his body. He just knew that David and D2 were back home as well.

The wormhole winked out. "The SGC is going to redial us and send Doctor McKay home," Chuck reported.

John took up his spot back at the base of the stairs and watched the gate redial the incoming wormhole from the SGC and connect. He watched, anticipation having an all-out war with nerves in the pit of his stomach. He swallowed hard, tamping down on both, at the sound of someone passing through the event horizon, and John beamed when he saw Rodney step out.

His Rodney; no mistaking it.

"Oh my God, Sheppard!" Rodney blurted as soon as turned and spotted John. "I have got craziest story to tell you about where I've just been!"

John walked up to meet him and threw an arm around his shoulders. "Yeah?" he asked, and smiled. Rodney's achingly familiar blue eyes went wide and he returned the smile; at first tentatively and then hopefully. "I think I've got a pretty good story to tell you, too. Why don't we go talk about it?"


End file.
